Elastic materials have been attached to articles or garments such as, for example, disposable diapers at locations such as the waist and/or leg openings. The elastic materials are often stretched, attached to a gatherable article while in the stretched state and allowed to recover to their normal, prestretched state causing the gatherable article to pucker or shirr. Articles or garments elasticized in this manner may be expanded by the body of a wearer or the surface of an item to be covered. The resistance of the article to expansion will cause a snug fit between the article and the body or item to be covered at the location where the article contacts the body or item to be covered. Snug fitting locations may be desirable in products such as, for example, disposable diapers, medical garments, work-wear garments and feminine care products.
Applying stretched, actively elastic materials to a conformable or gatherable article is difficult because the elastic materials must be maintained in a stretched condition during at least part of the application process. Methods of temporarily inactivating stretched elastic material by freezing the elastic material have been developed. The frozen elastic material is attached to a gatherable substrate and then reactivated by heat so that it returns to its normal, pre-stretched condition. Additionally, heat shrinkable elastic materials have been developed which may be applied to a conformable substrate and heated to cause the elastic material to heat-shrink producing puckers and shirrs in the laminate.